


Three Moments, Three Years

by lewin



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 13:26:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lewin/pseuds/lewin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Momoi wields a plastic recorder. Aomine is an ass. And Midorima wonders where his life went wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Moments, Three Years

**_ Year One _ **

 

Her first impression of Midorin came from an annoyed, dismissive glance.

 

Of course, he was still Midorima-kun at the time, and she and Dai-chan had just stumbled through the gym doors, late to the very first club meeting (all stupid Dai-chan's fault of course).

 

The entire club had stared at them upon their dramatic entrance, so it wasn't clear why Midorin's expression caught her attention. Although his wasn't the only one; the way Akashi's gaze narrowed in on Dai-chan stayed in her mind for the entirety of the first week.

 

The first time they talked was in the third week, after Midorima-kun and Dai-chan had moved up to first string and she had gotten more settled into her job as a manager.

 

He had walked up to her without ceremony and demanded, "Tell Aomine to stop trying to steal my belongings."

 

She had looked from his narrowed eyes and intense frown, to the adorable Keroppi in his taped hand, and blinked. "Uhm, shouldn't you be telling Dai- I mean, Aomine-kun this instead of me?"

 

"He does not listen and insists on continuing his childish pranks. I was told you were his keeper, so please do your job properly."

 

"But I'm not-"

 

"According to Oha-Asa, seeking help from a Taurus today would yield the best results for Cancers. You are a Taurus, are you not?"

 

"Well, I am, but-"

 

"Then I will leave this matter in your hands. By the way, today's lucky item for Taurus is a recorder. This is for you." And with that, he placed a plastic recorder into her hands before turning and walking back towards the locker rooms.

 

_Honestly, she_ wasn't _Dai-chan's keeper_ , Momoi fumed as she stared down at the instrument in her hands. But what was she suppose to do with this? It was just like the plastic recorder they had been using in music class, though upon closer examination, this one seemed to be new. Is this a bribe? Payment in advance? Random whim?

 

Of course, she knew _of_ Midorima-kun, of both his unusual quirks and strength on the court. Had watched him pass the first string test just last week. And although this was their first time speaking, she knew that Midorima-kun would be someone she would come to associate with often in the next three years.

 

And of course, while she didn't quite understand his obsession with horoscopes and lucky items, she didn't exactly approve of Dai-chan messing with other people's belongings either.

 

Everything somehow _always_ ended up being Dai-chan’s fault.

 

_It wouldn’t hurt to get on Midorima-kun’s good side_ , she thought, drumming the recorder absentmindedly against her palm.

 

When she returned to the classroom, Dai-chan was sitting at her desk and rummaging through her bag, half the contents spread out over her desk. A group of girls glanced up as she stepped inside, before quickly turning their backs and whispering furiously amongst themselves.

 

“Man, why does Satsuki have so much junk in here?” Aomine mumbled, dropping her pencil bag on top of the various notebooks he already pulled out.

 

Without a second thought, she stomped over to her desk and, recorder in hand, brought it down on the top of that annoying blue head.

 

**_WHACK._ **

“Ow! What the-”

 

“AOMINE DAIKI. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING.”

 

What was with today? At least he had the decency to look somewhat guilty. Unlike that time she caught him digging through her closet with muddy hands. Or that time he stole her favorite dessert.

 

“Uh, this isn’t what it looks like?”

 

Momoi’s expression darkened. She should really smack him again.

 

“Ow! Why are- Hey I-”

 

And once more.

 

“Satsuki, will you just sto-”

 

Maybe Midorima-kun was on to something with the lucky items.

 

“STOP HITTING ME I NEED THAT!”

 

By now, everyone in the class was staring at them in varying forms of abject horror and undisguised amusement. At least one person had their cell phone out and was taking pictures.

 

“What do you mean by ‘you need that’?” Momoi asked coldly, arm raised and eyes narrowed.

 

Aomine glanced at the recorder in her hand. “You know, for music class today ‘cause I, uh, lostminesomewhere.”

 

“So you decided to steal mine from my bag?”

 

“Aww, Satsuki, come on. You know Yamada-sensei wouldn’t chew _you_ out if you lost yours, you’re a girl and—Ow! Seriously, stop hitting me already!”

 

It was times like this that she really wondered why she put up with him at all. But at least he rarely paid attention to anything that wasn’t basketball-related or he would have known she kept her recorder stashed behind her math and history books inside her desk, not her bag.

 

And really, even though he was already half a head taller and who knows how much stronger than she was, the basketball idiot simply sat there with his hands over his head, throwing her not very good impressions of hurt puppy eyes.

 

She could never stay mad at him for long.

 

It was just as well that Midorima gave her a brand new recorder. She would never have agreed to lend hers to Dai-chan, no matter how much he begged.

 

But of course, certain conditions must first be met.

 

\--

 

Later, after practice had ended (Dai-chan had whined incessantly about her ruining all his fun before sulking off alone to an arcade), Midorima-kun approached her, still holding the adorable Keroppi plushie in one hand.

 

“This is the first practice that Aomine did not attempt to steal my lucky item. Thank you.”

 

“Ah, I should really apologize for all the trouble he has caused you,” Momoi replied, feeling a bit flustered. “I should thank you as well, for the recorder this morning. It really came in handy, though I’m afraid I won’t be able to return it to you until tomorrow.” Stupid Dai-chan better not lose it at the arcade.

 

Midorima pushed his glasses up with one hand as a hint of a smile appeared on his face. “As expected, Oha-Asa is always correct. It is your lucky item, and I do not expect you to return it.”

 

She smiled and made a mental note to talk to Midorima-kun more in the future. Even though she still didn’t really believe in horoscopes, he wasn’t difficult to get along with, and the recorder really did help her out today.

 

He also turned out kinder than her initial impression had led her to believe, so she couldn’t help but add, “Just as I thought, Midorima-kun looks nicer with smile.”

 

The taller boy froze for a fraction of a second, before abruptly turning his head and adjusting his glasses again. “Saying stupid things is unbecoming of you, Momoi. Just continue to make sure Aomine behaves himself. That is all.”

 

_This is an unexpectedly cute side_ , she thought as she let him walk away. Even though his back faced her and his ears and neck contained not even a hint of red, his embarrassment was carried in each of his steps. Boys have always been easy to read.

 

Maybe she should start calling him Midorin.

 

 

\-------

 

 

**_ Year Two _ **

 

Aomine stared up at the class rosters with a slight frown. So he and Satsuki would be in different classes this year. That kind of sucked.

 

Who would he copy homework from now?

 

_At least she won’t be there to nag or throw paper balls at my head when I fall asleep now_ , he thought, absentmindedly scanning the rest of the roster for someone he knew.

 

Ah.

 

_Midorima Shintarou_ was printed fourteen places below his own name. Midorima, huh? Well, Midorima was also crazy smart, and not as scary as Akashi (he would never make that mistake twice), so maybe homework wasn’t a lost cause after all.

 

But first, he needed information, and there was only ever one person he sought that from.

 

“Oi, Satsuki,” he drawled, opening the door to 2-A and making his way to where she sat, chatting with another girl whose name he didn’t know.

 

She looked up at him with a slight frown. “Aomine-kun, did you get lost again? You’re suppose to be in class 2-D and this is 2-A.”

 

“I’m not lost, stupid,” he grumbled, pulling up a chair and plopping into it. “That was one time and you know it. I’m here for some serious consultation, so listen up.”

 

She gave a small sigh, shooting an apologetic glance to the other girl. “Fine, make it quick then. Homeroom will start soon.”

 

Aomine grinned. He knew Satsuki wouldn’t let him down. “Ok, how do I get Midorima to let me copy his homework?”

 

A single raised eyebrow was his reply.

 

“Well?” he asked again.

 

She sighed again, looking exasperated. “Really? Shouldn’t you be doing your own homework? Yourself? You’ll never learn if you just copy Midorin’s.”

 

“Well, duh,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “That’s kind of the point.”

 

Ok, apparently that was _not_ the right thing to say, because now Satsuki had this kind of murderous look in her eyes, like that time he told her he used her favorite handkerchief to bury his first pet Kotetsu (bless his soul), and oh look there’s the bell better hurry back to his own classroom.

 

“You can tell me later!” he called as he slid out of the chair and swiftly made a beeline to the door, eyes glued to Satsuki’s clenched fists the entire time. Of course he wasn’t running away; this was totally his normal walking speed. And even if it was a bit faster than usual, it’s only because he didn’t want to be late on the first day.

 

\--

 

“For the last time, I will not let you copy my homework,” Midorima growled in Aomine’s ear the moment Akashi left the gym with the coach. “This is worse than last year when you kept stealing my tape and lucky items, and it is getting extremely annoying.”

 

Aomine merely blinked and stared at his shoes, thrown by the sudden non sequitur. They were in the middle of stretches, with Midorima pushing down on his back as he reached for his toes.

 

For the past two weeks, he’d pretty much been sticking to Midorima as much as he could, hoping to eventually wear the other down on the homework issue. It helped that they happened to sit next to each other in class, and even Murasakibara had commented at the frequency they’ve partnered up for practice recently. He can be very persuasive and insistent when needed.

 

“Therefore,” Midorima continued, pushing him down harder, hard enough to hurt, “cease those actions immediately and do your own work. Do you understand?”

 

“Oi Midorima, it seriously hurts like, seriously-”

 

“Do you understand?”

 

“… … …”

 

“…” _Push._

 

“OW! Ok, ok! You win geez dammit are you trying to kill me,” Aomine groaned as Midorima finally eased up. “I bet Satsuki told you to do this,” he mumbled, massaging his thighs and shooting a glare at his childhood friend on the other side of the gym.

 

Green-haired bastard merely leaned back on his heals and pushed his glasses up. “That would be correct. As expected, when it comes to dealing with you, Momoi knows best.”

 

“I KNEW IT!” Aomine jumped up and pointed dramatically at Midorima’s face. “I fucking knew it-”

 

“Aomine, I believe you were told to stretch and I do not see any stretching being done,” came Akashi’s voice.

 

Shit. Looking up only confirmed that Akashi and the coach had indeed returned. It always unnerved him to be on the receiving end of that infamous red-eyed glare, and he was definitely being glared at now.

 

“Give me ten laps around the gym.”

 

“…On it,” he answered, throwing one last look at the stingy megane still sitting on the ground. As he jogged past Satsuki, he mouthed _traitor_ and made sure his displeasure was known. She just rolled her eyes and mouthed back _I warned you_.

 

So he needed a new plan, Aomine thought as he made his way around the gym. He hadn’t expected Satsuki to team up with Midorima, though in hindsight he probably should have seen it coming. Aside from himself, and maybe that one female friend of Satsuki’s, the one whose name he could never remember, Midorima was probably the person Satsuki was closest to.

 

They probably bonded over school work or something lame like that.

 

Anyways, he needed another plan, and since planning had never been his strong point, that left asking someone else for help. And there was only ever one person he sought help from.

 

\--

 

“So Satsuki says that I should ask you to _help_ me with homework instead of, you know, trying to steal yours to copy.”

 

This was certainly awkward, standing at Midorima’s desk as the other looked back at him, eyes obscured behind those thick rimmed glasses. Hmm, maybe he wasn’t even looking in his direction at all, not that he could tell at the moment.

 

It was ten minutes before the start of first period, because Satsuki had insisted that he find Midorima as soon as possible. He was technically supposed to have been here half an hour ago, but got held back at the end morning practice to be lectured by the coach about hogging the gym after practice. It was like the world was out to get him or something. He heard the fourth auditorium was pretty empty, so maybe he’ll go there to practice from now on.

 

Midorima however, gave no indication of a response, just as Satsuki had predicted. Well, on to step two then.

 

“Satsuki also said that at the rate I’m going, I’ll end up failing the next exam which means the coach will be notified, which means Akashi will know, and then Akashi will force you to teach me anyways since we’re in the same class, so it’s probably better for everyone involved to help each other out now before we reach that point.”

 

More silence. Step three then.

 

“Also Satsuki said to give this. I didn’t know you liked crayfish too, but I woke up extra early to catch it today.” It was a really nice crayfish too, not as big as Kotetsu had been, but he was proud nonetheless.

 

At this, Midorima finally sighed. Pushing his glasses up and taking the cage from his hands, he reluctantly said, “Thank you. I was unable to find a plush doll for today’s lucky item. I suppose the real thing will suffice just as well.”

 

“Uh, actually, Satsuki said not to give that to you until you agreed so-”

 

“You’re noisy. And annoying. And you should stop having Momoi solve all your problems for you.”

 

“Like you’ve never asked Satsuki for help.”

 

A twitch. “What’s important,” Midorima continued, “is that although you get on my nerves, Momoi does raise a valid point. It is my misfortune to be the only other club member to share a class with you this year.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“How many points did you score on yesterday’s math quiz?”

 

“Uhh…” he rubbed the back of his head. “Less than…twenty?”

 

Midorima raised a hand to his temple and gave another large sigh. What was with people always sighing at him? “She was right; you really are an idiot.”

 

“Oi!”

 

Yet another sigh. Midorima stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder as startling green eyes bore into his. “You will do everything I say, complete everything I tell you to complete, and keep your annoyingness to a minimum. Those are my conditions.”

 

“What the hell do you mean by ‘my annoyingness’ huh?!”

 

“We will have to start today. You will be spending lunch and any breaks from now on getting caught up. And before you start, your whining is annoying, so I do not want to hear it.”

 

“Are you just going to ignore my question?”

 

“Also, I want to see every one of your homework and quizzes, so find them and bring them tomorrow.”

 

Satsuki was definitely rubbing off on him. “Has anyone told you about that stick-”

 

“Class is starting, everyone to their seats! And Midorima, what is that in your hand?”

 

Interrupted by the bell.

 

As Midorima proceeded to explain his lucky item of the day, Aomine slumped into his chair. He had to admit though, it was rather amusing watching their homeroom teacher get increasingly more flustered at the expressionless reasoning of Teikou’s number one shooting guard. Kind of reminded of him of the way Satsuki wheedled information out of their opponents.

 

“I had better not see you falling asleep today,” Midorima murmured as he slid back into his seat, just loud enough for him to hear. He carefully placed the not-confiscated cage at the corner his desk.

 

Seriously, he wanted to punch whoever introduced Midorima and Satsuki to each other in the face.

 

 

\-------

 

 

**_ Year Three _ **

 

That he is no longer in Aomine’s class is something Midorima attributes as the reward for a year of constant diligence. He has made sure to obtain the correct lucky item every day without fail. He has carefully followed Oha-Asa’s advice, even when Cancers were said to have the best of luck. He has proposed, and God has disposed.

 

This year he shares a class with Akashi.

 

It was also rather convenient, with respect to their leadership positions in the club. He had briefly wondered if this was an orchestrated coincidence, before dismissing it altogether. He had much more important matters to worry about after all.

 

Oha-Asa had warned him to watch out for Virgos today.

 

“Why are you here, Aomine?” It was lunch time, and the ace of Teikou’s basketball team was sitting in the desk in front of his (Suzuki from the swim team’s to be exact), sporting a huge shit-eating grin.

 

“Aww, c’mon Tarou, aren’t we buddies?” came an all too familiar drawl.

 

“Do not call me ‘Tarou’,” he replied while deftly smacking the other’s hand away. “Go buy lunch downstairs if you’re hungry.”

 

Aomine remained undeterred. “I see that stick is still stuck up there nice and tight. Is this your lucky item?” he asked, poking at the potted plant he had bought this morning.

 

Midorima could feel the tick above his eyebrow twitching. Aomine was no longer his responsibility. That ended last year. “Touch that again and you die. Can’t you go bother Kuroko or Momoi instead?”

 

At least he had the grace to obey the first part. “Nah, Tetsu’s doing some library committee shit or other. And the librarian hates me for some reason.”

 

“If I recall correctly, the last time you were in the library, you got kicked out for trying to build a book fort out of the non-fiction section.”

 

“Oh yeah, that was fun. Who borrows books from the non-fiction section anyways?”

 

“I do.”

 

“Eh, you’re a Tarou though. Tarou’s don’t count.”

 

“I said not to call me-”

 

Taking advantage of his distraction, Aomine quickly plucked a tofu roll with his fingers and stuffed it into his mouth. “Man, your mom’s cooking is as good as always,” said the thieving prat, grinning unrepentantly around a mouthful of _his_ lunch.

 

He had already gone through a year of having his food stolen, and he refuses to go through another. “Go bother Momoi then.”

 

“Don’t wanna.”

 

“Did she finally decide you’re not worth her time to baby-sit?”

 

“I don’t know why I even talk to you,” Aomine retorted, making another grab for his lunch. This time he was ready. “Ow! Geez, don’t have to hit me that hard. You know, you and Tetsu would make a great pair; the other day I tried to take just _one little sip_ of his vanilla shake, and he ignite-passed me in the gut.”

 

“Thank you for the advice. I will be sure to follow Kuroko’s stellar example from now on.”

 

“Oi!”

 

“You are Momoi’s problem child, not mine. So be a good boy and quickly return to her side.”

 

“Ha, ha. Very funny. Besides, if we’re going by team dynamics, general consensus is that you fit the mother role way better than Satsuki. Satsuki’s like, I dunno, a really smart grandma or something.”

 

“ _What_.”

 

“ _Anyways_ ,” Aomine plowed on, making shooing motions with his hands, “Satsuki’s training the new managers in something, hopefully not cooking, and explicitly told me to stay away if I wanted to see my limited edition, super sexy swimsuit Mai-chan photo book again.”

 

“I can’t believe-”

 

“Hey, no dissing the boobs. Boobs are awesome, come one, admit it. Unless you swing the other way, which hey, that’s cool too, but boobs are still awesome.”

 

“…What about Kise? Hasn’t he been hanging around you a lot lately?”

 

“Oh yeah, Kise. Kise has a lot of boobs going for him I guess, except most of them are as flat-”

 

“ _Why do you even open your mouth_?” Midorima gritted out, slamming his chopsticks on his desk. This was not a conversation he wanted to have, ever, especially not at school, and especially not with Aomine.

 

He received a lazy grin in return from their blue-eyed ace. The bastard was doing this on purpose.

 

_I am going to strangle him one day_ , he thought as he rubbed his temples. Aomine took this opportunity to gleefully swipe his chopsticks. This time, he didn’t stop the annoying thief.

 

Watching as the rest of his lunch disappeared, he seriously questioned how Momoi had been able to put up with, with _this_ , for fifteen years without going crazy. Dealing with Aomine outside the courts felt akin to going against a force of nature, unpredictable and ultimately futile. Not to say he was easy to handle on the courts; the title of “ace” was not given away lightly, especially not at a school like Teikou. But at least there, he was manageable. Kise might not have beaten the glutton in front of him in a one-on-one yet, but he has.

 

Speaking of… “I thought Kise would be hunting you down for one-on-ones during lunch time as well.”

 

“And skip food?” Aomine asked around a mouthful of fried cabbages. His table manners were as atrocious as ever. Maybe that story about him being raised in the wild was true.

 

“It would be the normal course of action for a pair of basketball idiots,” he replied, eye twitching at the sloppiness. “You eat like a five year old.”

 

“Like you haven’t told me that only a bajillion times already,” Aomine snarked back, finishing the last of _his_ rice with _his_ chopsticks. Those will have to be sanitized once he got home. Thoroughly. “Besides, Kise’s busy either running from or indulging his fans during lunch. Those loud gah-gah-ing girls that always surround him are seriously annoying.”

 

“So you do know what annoyance is. Did your mother not teach you to finish your food properly?” he narrowed his eyes at the stray grains of rice still left in his lunch box. “And wipe your mouth clean. You look like an animal.”

 

“ _Yes, mom_ ,” Aomine rolled his eyes. While he did finish off the rice, he purposely made a show of wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve instead of properly using his handkerchief. Midorima knew this was also done for the sole purpose of annoying him.

 

“I should double your basic training menu today,” he threatened in retaliation.

 

“I thought only ‘Dad’ was allowed do that.”

 

“ _Triple_.”

 

“Fine, fine, leaving now.” Aomine stood up, stretched, and then had the gall to turn around at the door to call back, “Thanks for the food, mom!”

 

He was going to _quadruple_ that cocky brat’s training menu for the rest of the _month_.

 

\--

 

“I’m really sorry, Midorin,” Momoi apologized, looking up at him with lowered lashes. He was getting better at reading her these days, and knew that if it ever came down to his convenience or Aomine’s, she would always choose the latter.

 

That wasn’t what bothered him, because everyone was second place to Momoi when it came to Aomine. It was just the natural state of things. However, what did bother him was the fact that despite all his efforts last year, that _idiot_ still ended up failing an exam _this_ year, and Akashi was having none of that.

 

While their captain had lost most of his unrealistic expectations when it came to the grades of club members (he was one of the few who did meet those impossible straight A standards), the bottom line was still the bottom line: you must pass. National Championship preliminaries would be starting soon, and while it was his opinion they would have minimal problems, even without Aomine, Akashi was not one to take any chances when it came to Teikou’s absolute victory.

 

“It can’t be helped,” Midorima replied, adjusting his glasses. “They did not heed my warnings and neglected to follow Oha-Asa’s advice.”

 

Momoi laughed under her breath and leaned against his shoulder. “Who would have thought Ki-chan would have fallen so behind due to his modeling schedule, and Mukkun would also fall asleep during his history exam?”

 

Who would have thought indeed, because here was where the problem lied. Unfortunately, Aomine was not the only idiot to have failed something during the last set of exams, and with half the starting members on the verge of being banned from participating in matches, Akashi had ordered a mandatory study session. Which brings Midorima to his current predicament: spending his weekend holed up with his rowdy teammates in a futile final effort to cram as much knowledge as possible into their basketball (or candy) filled brains.

 

At least Akashi’s family home was nice. It had a large, traditional garden, complete with a pond surrounded by stone and flora, offering a beautiful view at all times. The night view was especially calming in his opinion.

 

It didn’t come as a surprise that Akashi’s family was filthy rich; rather, it explained a lot.

 

“What do you think their chances of passing are come Monday?” Momoi asked into his sleeve.

 

“Better than before.”

 

“That’s true. You and Akashi would make wonderful teachers in the future.”

 

The future beyond basketball wasn’t something he had permitted himself to think much about yet. “I hear you’ve made remarkable progress with Murasakibara.”

 

“Mukkun’s quite smart actually. It’s really a matter of finding the right things to bribe him with,” she noted. “Besides, I don’t think he would have failed had he not fallen asleep.”

 

“Kise’s not dumb either,” he conceded in return.

 

“The problem has always been Dai-chan,” she sighed. He hasn’t heard her address Aomine with that nickname in a long time, not since their first year, and pointedly ignores her slip of tongue. Grinning, she added, “For once, I don’t envy Akashi-kun. Not right now.”

 

That was certainly true.

 

They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the trees sway while listening to the rhythmic _thunk thunk_ of the garden’s shishi-odoshi. A soft breeze blew by as the moon emerged from behind the clouds, its reflection lighting up the entire yard.

 

“Thank you for waiting up with me,” she smiled again.

 

“I wouldn’t have been able to sleep with the racket anyways,” he replied.

 

Akashi, after seeing just how abysmal Aomine’s grades were, had taken it as a personal challenge to whip their ace back into shape. Even now, an hour after both Kise and Murasakibara had retired to bed, light shone through the sliding doors of the room Akashi had dragged Aomine into this morning. Every now and then, sharp _whacks_ and muffled voices could be heard, followed inevitably by the sound of shuffling papers.

 

It would be another half hour before they emerged.

 

Akashi did not seem surprised to see the two of them sitting together and gazing at the garden in mutual silence. As he walked by on his way to his own room, he calmly said, “Shintarou, Satsuki, my work is done. I will leave him in your hands. Make sure you get a good night’s rest.” With a final parting nod, he vanished around the corner.

 

A few seconds later, a familiar blue head appeared. “Is he gone? He is gone now, right?” There was a slightly hysterical gleam in his eyes, and after glancing around to make sure that Akashi was indeed no where in sight, he walked over and threw himself across their laps. “Oh thank fuck that’s finally fucking over,” came the muffled voice against his thigh.

 

“Language,” Momoi chided at the same time Midorima spluttered indignantly at the sudden breach of personal space.

 

“What do you think you’re doing _get off of me_ ,” he demanded when the initial shock wore off.

 

Aomine just turned over and made himself comfortable, wriggling his head and smirking up at him. “Man, your lap isn’t comfortable at all.”

 

“So get, _off_ ,” he gritted out, glaring daggers at his utterly shameless teammate.

 

“Actually, ’s not that bad now that I think about, for a guy anyways,” Aomine continued, ignoring his demand. “You’ve got more muscle, so it’s like, kinda firm-ish, and doesn’t feel as bony as Tetsu’s.”

 

“ _What_?” Momoi half-shrieked.

 

“Anyways,” Aomine plowed on, ignoring her glare as well, “speaking of Tetsu, it is completely and utterly _unfair_ that Akashi let him skip out on this.” His previous grin was replaced by a pout. “He should totally have been here to suffer with the rest of us.”

 

“Tetsu-kun, unlike someone else, passed all of his classes with flying colors,” Momoi sniffed in response. “Besides, he has a family gathering this weekend.”

 

“That is complete and utter bullshit and you know it! Family gathering my ass,” Aomine exclaimed, raising and pointing with his hand dramatically.

 

“ _Language_ ,” Momoi chided again as she slapped the hand down. “But it would have been so nice,” she continued, a dreamy note in her voice, “to spend an entire weekend with Tetsu-kun here, ahh just thinking about it kyaaaaa~~~”

 

“Whatever,” grumbled Aomine, crossing his arms and pouting again.

 

Midorima really didn’t know how this has become his life. One teammate was grumbling under his breath about another teammate while lying in his lap, legs sprawled across the lap of the manager sitting next to him. Said manager had her head in her hands, eyes close, and was utterly lost in her own world, squealing about something that sounded like “romantic moonlight walks on the beach”.

 

“Cancers have the worst of luck today!” Oha-Asa had cheerfully warned him this morning. It seems even the lucky wristbands he wore all day were not able to completely overcome that.

 

“Aomine, what Gregorian year corresponds with Taisho Year 10?” he suddenly asks.

 

“The hell?” Blue eyes stared quizzically up at him. “It’s uh…Taisho started in…I need paper for- You know what, fuck you! I’m not answering that elementary level question you stupid megane!”

 

_Very mature_ , Midorima thought as a tongue was stuck out at him. He glanced over at Momoi, still lost in whatever fantasy she was thinking of. It was just as well, that she was too preoccupied to stop him from dumping the idiot in his lap face-first into the ground. Preferably on some nice, hard rocks.

 

Based on Akashi’s words earlier and Aomine’s relaxed posture even in the face of a question he didn’t immediately know the answer to, he knew the both of them had a certain level of confidence concerning Monday’s exam. And as he had come to learn over the years, Akashi’s confidence was as good as fact.

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust their red-haired captain, quite the opposite actually. The one he didn’t trust was Aomine, and it was better to secure absolute victory on this front now than to be sorry later. He needed to ensure that a repeat of this study session would never occur again.

 

That was the Teikou way.

 

\--

 

A week later, he showed up to morning practice with a case of specially made pencils. Aomine, Kise, and Murasakibara had passed their make-up exams from before, but tests were ever reoccurring and this time, he came prepared.

 

“I have something to announce,” he said to the first string members when practice ended. Pulling out the box, he continued, “These are specially made exam-taking pencils. Take one if you wish, but use it only as a last resort.”

 

Surprisingly, the one who needed them the least was also the first to claim one as his own. “Hmm, you’ve made something interesting, Shintarou,” Akashi mused, turning it over between his fingers. “I’m sure this will come in handy, especially for some of our less academically inclined players.”

 

It spoke volumes about them as a team when everyone simultaneously side-eyed a certain blue-haired power forward.

 

“Why are you all looking at me for? Oi, Kise, stop laughing!”

 

In the end, the box was emptied and he felt quite accomplished. Aomine kept throwing half-glares at him, but Momoi had taken the initiative and stuck a pencil inside his bag.

 

Well, he has done everything within his power. All that’s left, is fate.

 

\--

 

Two weeks and four days later, Aomine ambushed him during lunch, dragging him behind the gym. Hands were placed on both his shoulders, and with mixture of disbelief and awe, the other gravely informed him, “Dude, your pencil, it runs on fucking magic.”

 

He couldn’t help the slight upward twitch of his lips. “No, it follows fate.”

 

\--

 

Momoi cornered him that afternoon. “Midorin is so nice, going so far to help Aomine-kun. Even though he’s an idiot who forgot to study despite my reminders.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” was his reply.

 

She just smiled that enigmatic smile of hers and agreed, “Of course not~”

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt of adventures involving these three, that somehow ended up being snippets of their lives during middle school instead.
> 
> This is unbeta'd and chock full of headcanon, made up names, and possibly inaccurate details concerning their Teikou years, among other things. I'm sorry Destiny, I tried.


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